Federal: FEC and LDA.gov.
PolicySpan sources federal campaign finance from the Federal Election Commission and federal lobbying disclosure from LDA.gov, both from the official documented APIs. Each is published as a public record under federal law.
PolicySpan is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of these agencies. We name their systems because that is where the public records live. Data reviewed as accessed 2026-07-20.
Both systems are ingested directly from the official government API. No third-party aggregators are used. For why direct sourcing matters, see the Data & Sourcing overview.
FEC — federal campaign finance
What it is
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is the federal agency that administers and publishes campaign finance disclosure for federal candidates, party committees, and political action committees. Its data covers contributions, disbursements, and independent expenditures.
What PolicySpan ingests
| Record type | Coverage | Historical range |
|---|---|---|
| Committee and candidate records | Federal (nationwide) | 2014 cycle to present |
| Itemized contributions (Schedule A) | California and South Dakota (indexed); nationwide via live lookup | 2014 cycle to present |
| Independent expenditures (Schedule E) | Federal (nationwide) | Current, live lookups |
Sourcing
Primary source: Federal Election Commission. Official access point: the OpenFEC API at api.open.fec.gov, the FEC's official documented interface. Ingested directly from the official API, no aggregator.
Good to know
- Shown as filed. Figures come straight from what committees filed with the FEC. We report the record; we do not adjust it.
- Individual donor detail is handled with care. Federal reports name contributors with an employer, occupation, and address. Named detail sits inside your authenticated tools; public and map views stay at the ZIP or aggregate level.
- Timing follows the filing calendar. Records appear on the FEC's disclosure deadlines, not in real time.
LDA.gov — federal lobbying disclosure
What it is
LDA.gov is the federal lobbying disclosure system, jointly operated by the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate. It holds lobbying registrations, quarterly activity reports (LD-2), and contribution reports (LD-203) filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
What PolicySpan ingests
| Record type | Coverage | Historical range |
|---|---|---|
| Lobbying registrations and clients | Federal | current, live lookups |
| Quarterly activity reports (issues, general issue codes) | Federal | current, live lookups |
Sourcing
Primary source: the federal lobbying disclosure system. Official access point: the LDA.gov REST API at lda.gov/api/v1. These reports are public by federal law. Ingested directly from the official API, no aggregator.
Good to know
- Federal lobbying is reported by issue, not by dollar-per-bill. Reports list the general issues and specific matters an organization lobbied. They do not attach a spend figure to any single bill, and neither do we.
- Timing follows the quarterly reporting calendar. Activity appears when registrants file.
Every figure on this page traces to a public federal source that can be checked independently. Questions about a specific figure or its source? Reach out at rj@policyspan.ai.